Henry William Bayntun
| Sir Henry William Bayntun | |
|---|---|
Aged 13 years, 6 months by Thomas Hickey
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| Born | 1766 Algiers , North Africa |
| Died | 16 December 1840 Bath, Somerset, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
| Service/branch | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1777-1840 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held | |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath |
Sir Henry William Bayntun GCB (1766 – 16 December 1840) was a senior officer in the Royal Navy, whose distinguished career in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars was a catalogue of the highest and lowest points of the Navy during the conflict. His record includes extensive operations in the West Indies followed by shipwreck, the battle of Trafalgar and the disastrous expedition to Buenos Aires in 1807.
Born in 1766 in Algiers, where his father was Consul general, Bayntun joined the navy at a young age and received his lieutenancy at just seventeen on 15 April 1783. When war broke out with Revolutionary France in 1793, Bayntun was sent to the West Indies under Admiral Sir John Jervis and, after taking part in the capture of Martinique, he was given command of the sloop HMS Avenger. Bayntun was also present during the invasion of Guadeloupe and on the 4 May 1794, he was appointed post captain of HMS Undaunted, the former French frigate, La Bienvenue, captured during the Battle of Martinique.
Bayntun was subsequently given command of the 36-gun HMS Reunion, which was wrecked in December 1796. In January 1799, he was appointed to HMS Quebec. He then commanded ships of the line, including HMS Thunderer and HMS Cumberland, with which he won acclaim during a successful blockade of the French Caribbean islands following their return to France under the terms of the Treaty of Amiens. In 1803 he captured the French frigate Créole, along with her convoy and hundreds of troops aboard returning to France.
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Wikipedia